Low libido? Maybe you’re due for weight loss surgery!
Sexual dysfunction that commonly occurs in morbidly obese men improves after weight loss surgery, according to a new study.
“Sexual dysfunction should be considered one of the numerous potentially reversible complications of obesity,” the study team concludes.
Dr. Ramsey M. Dallal, from Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, and colleagues measured the degree to which 97 morbidly obese men suffered from sexual dysfunction and then analyzed the change in sexual function after substantial weight loss following gastric bypass surgery.
Before surgery, the morbidly obese men had significantly lower sexual function relative to that of a previously published reference control group of men before surgery, the investigators report.
After losing an average of two-thirds of their excess weight, men experienced significant improvements in sexual function, with the amount of weight loss predicting the degree of improvement.
“We estimate that a man who is morbidly obese has the same degree of sexual dysfunction as a nonobese man about 20 years older,” the investigators report. “Sexual function improves substantially after gastric bypass surgery to a level that reaches or approaches age-based norms.” [Reuters]
Trenton
I think this is nature’s way of confirming that the morbidly obese are not meant to have sex. Frankly, I’m relieved.
spiffy
And this is gay related how?
Buck
Uh, obviously “Dr.” Dallal has never been to a Convergence. Maybe somebody needs to introduce him sometimes. As for Trenton, piss off Miss Thang.
B. J. Hoover
Heaven forbid there involve a lifestyle change not surgically induced.
Michael W.
@B. J. Hoover: The study just happened to involve gastric bypass surgery. All medical professionals will tell you that it’s a last resort measure and you should try to lose weight naturally first.
The main point to take away from the study is that weight loss = increase in sexual function for the obese. I like the finding that morbid obesity adds 20 years to your “sex age.”
BrianPrince
Do you forget that there are fat gay people, Mr. Spiffy… or is everybody thin and beautiful in your deluded world?
Alan down in Florida
@Spiffy – As if there aren’t thousands of morbidly gay men out there. But you wouldn’t notice them much less associate with them.
Why doesn’t the study mention the well-known correlation between obesity, diabetes and erectile dysfunction? Losing weight reduces the complications from diabetes so an improvement in sexual function is a logical result.
In general, why do they keep doing studies of stuff that is so blatantly obvious? The overwhelming majority of morbidly obese people become that way due to psychological problems. At the top of that list are lack of self-esteem and depression. These reduce sexual opportunity and libido is one of those things for which “Use It Or Lose It” applies. Just the other day a study was released which essentially said the easiest way to avoid sexual dysfunction was to have sex at least once a week. Less frequency increases the chances of developing problems.
Any successful method of weight loss should ideally increase self-esteem, reduce depression and increase sexual opportunity.
I can’t tell you how many gay men I meet are FFBs (Formerly Fat Boys). Guess what? My interaction shows that no matter how buffed and hot they become, the majority of them continue to have self-esteem problems and lack of self-confidence. That’s often why you’ll see a gorgeous guy stand alone all night while the less lovely lads think “If that hunk can’t find someone how can I hope to?”
Until morbidly obese people deal with the psychological causes of their weight gain it really doesn’t matter how much weight they lose.
seitan-on-a-stick
Remember when THIN meant you had AIDS? Now many HIV positive people now have issues with fat re-distribution (Lipoatrophy). Oh, that’s the GAY ISSUE!
David
Chiming as an FFB (formerly fat boy) who had a version of gastric bypass surgery. I can say I had lots of sex when I was over 400 lbs, and had no trouble getting it up or finding guys who were attracted to big boys. (I had far more trouble finding sex partners looking like a deflated beach ball, in fact.) Trenton will no doubt be relieved to learn that chubs and chasers congregate far away from his sort, so he won’t have to imagine the reality of people who don’t look like him having sex.
spiffy
@6&7 – Before you guys make assumptions about other people, how about re-read this post? This article was lifted out of MSNBC, and MSNBC sourced it from Reuters. It can be about ANY man regardless of his sexual orientation. Just because Queerty is too lazy to give me a gay angle on this story doesn’t mean I shun people of size or if it’s even any indication of what I am.
BTW, even in my deluded world, thin does not always equal beautiful.